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Botany
· Erect, branched, smooth annual, 20 to 60 cm high, with
green or purplish, 3- to 4-angled or winged stems, and spreading
3-angled branches.
· Leaves: narrowly elliptic-lanceolate or oblong lanceolate,
4 to 10 cm long, alternate.
· Flowers: occur singly and without stalk in the axil
of leaves. Calyx-tube slender and about 8 mm long, with 4 green,
lanceolate, nearly 4 mm long calyx lobes. Petals 4, yellow, narrowly
oblong-elliptic, and as long as the sepals. Stamens 8, ovary
4-celled, ovules many in several axile rows in each cell.
· Fruits: capsules, green or purplish, about 3 cm long,
and 1 to 2 mm in diameter. Seeds sometimes faintly visible through
the walls.
Distribution
Throughout the
Philippines, in open, damp places, old rice paddies, margins
of streams, etc. at low and medium altitudes.
Parts
utilized
· Whole plant utilized. Collect from April to September.
· Wash, cut into whole pieces, dry under the sun.
Constituents and properties
•Considered astringent, anthelmintic, carminative and diuretic.
• Phytochemical studies revealvitexin, isovitexin, orientin and isoorientin.
Uses
Folkloric
· Cold-fever, swelling pain in the throat, inflammation of the
mouth cavity.
· Enteritis-diarrhea.
· Eczema-furuncle.
· Dosage: 15 to 30 gms dried materials in decoction. The decoction
may be used as gargle for mouth ulcer. Pounded fresh material may be
applied as poultice to area afflicted by eczema.
• In Bangladesh and India, decoction used for diarrhea and dysentery, flatulence, leucorrhea and hemoptysis. Leaves used for poulticing in orchitis and neck gland enlargement. Decoction used as vermifuge and purgative.
Studies
• Anti-tumor / Antibacterial: Study isolated an alkaloidal constituent, piperine which showed antitumor and antibacterial activity. Its inhibitory effect on crown-gall tumor suggests potential for exploitation of the plant species for cancer prevention and treatment. On antibacterial study, it showed good activity against Shigella dysenteriae, S aureus and B subtilis.
• Antidiarrheal: Study of extract of Ludwigia hyssopifolia reduced gastrointestinal motility by 53.8% at 100 mg KBW with no inhibition at 50 mg KBW.
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
